Display cover for relatively long boxes



June 9, 1925.`

J. l. FUSSAKOV DISPLAY COVER Fon HLATIVELY LONG BOXES Filed Julyv 14.1924 Ilrlllllllllmlllil'ul Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JACOB I. RUSSAIOV, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

`DISELAY COVER FOR RELATIVELY LONG BOXES.

Application filed July 14, 1924. Serial No. 725,888.

Certain fruits and other commodities such as crackers, biscuits and thelike are,v

to a large extent, shipped by the growers or manufacturers instandard-size boxes approximately twenty-one and'one-half inches long bythirteen and one-half inches wide. The store-keeper removes .the` topboards and thereafter desires to sell the contents directly from thelbox while keeping the goods on display. It hasv been suggestedheretofore to provide a display cover for such boxes comprising tworelatively long and narrow wooden frames of the length of the box andhalf its width hinged t0- gether and having the combined area and shapeof the top ofthe box, each of the frames having a glass panel extendingVsubstantially. from end to .end of the box, one of the frames beingsecured in a readily removable way to the. top of the box, the otherframe constituting a door and swinging open for access to the commodity.

Another suggestion for the purpose has been to provide two'relativelylong and narrow sheet-metal frames the length of the box, each havingmarginal flangesadapted to encompass the outer surfaces ofthe box nearthe top, each frame having a glass plate extending from end to end ofthe box, the frames also being hinged together, with means for securingone of the frames readily removably upon the box, the other framesimilarly constituting a door.

In each of these instances the narrow frame constituting the doorextends from end to end of the-box and provides an opening which isabout the length of the box and about half its width. In suchconstruction access to the contents below the relatively fixed part ofthe cover is fairly difficult, with the result that in practice thecommodities are unequally withdrawn, the appearance of the displaymarred-notably where the goods, as biscuits, are packed in layers withsheets of paper between them-- handling the goods, as fruit, to pick outspoiled items is dilcult and loften not attended to, and, since suchboxes are usually set on a rack 1nchned downward and away from thefront, the uppermostcontents Afall down upon the lower when re-' lievedof the subjacent support by such withdrawals immediately below the door.Furthermore, the inner surfaces of the relatively fixed glass plate insuch instances can not be readily cleaned without removal of the covercomplete.

The present improvements have for their principal objects .the provisionof a display cover for such relatively long boxes according to whichfree and easy accessmay be had to'all parts of the interior of the boxthrough 4an opening or openings substantially coextensive with the opentop of the box; to provide a cover which maybe read'- vily applied andremoved, and which holds itself in position on the box rmly andsecurely; to` provide a cover which protects the contents unusually wellfrom dirt, dust and vermin; one which overcomes such disadvantages ashereinabove mentioned; and one which is unusually attractive inappearancea quality of importance in a device for displaying suchcommodities. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter. f

In the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification',Figure l is a face viewof my-improved cover with the doors'closed, andit may be considered to be shown as'applied normally to the box of Fig.3; Fig. 2 shows the cover of F ig. l viewed slightly from the top, andwith the doors open; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view as on the line 3-3of Fig. l, showing the application ofthe cover to a box of the characterdescribed.

The box 10 illustrates the relatively long and narrow box of commercehereinabove described. It is deep or shallow according to the commodityenclosed.

My improved display cover is formed largely of sheetmetal and may Vbemade according to practices well understood in the art. It 'comprisesfirst a fiat rectangular Vably integral with each other and being andend flanges 17 and 18, thesev flangesl being preferably integral withthe baseparts and being adapted to encompass and ytele-` scope upon theouter surfaces of the box at upper portions thereof in readilyapplicable and removable relation. inward upon the loweredges of theflanges as shown at E20, Fig. 3, which provides a sub stantially goodseal for the cover against the ent-rance of dust and dirt and creepingver min, and the fact that the basevrests upon the top edges of the boxfurther addsV to the protection afforded the contents atthis place.

I preferably employ also, as an integral part, a relatively long and`narrow strip-like member 22 extending from the'base part ll to the basepart l2 midway between the ends of the device. This member 22 not onlystrengthens the base, but forms a rest for the doors and cooperates inthe pro-vision of a sealfor he device around the margins of the doors.Vil'hile it divides the opening in the base into two relatively largeopenings, this strip 22' is so narrow asnot materially to alter theeffect of an `opening in the base substantially coextensive with theopen Atop ofthe box. It may be .omitted,with loss of advantage, whileretaining other advantages ofthe construction.

Upstanding flanges Q3, 24, 25 and 26 beaded at the top are formed at theinner edges of the base frame parts, not'only further strengthening thebase, but providing rounded edges forthe openings through'which the handpasses, and cooperating also to pro-` vide a seal for thedoor openings.

' A pair of doors 27 and 28 are hinged upon the base, preferably at eachend of the base, so that the doors will swing outward from the middleand stand open widely to permit free access to the hollow interior ofthe box through the open interior of the base. The doors respectivelycomprise integral upper frame parts 30, lower frame parts 3l, outerframe parts 32, and inner frame parts 33, and depending from these frameparts respectively are top flanges 34, bottom flanges 35, inner flanges36,and outer flanges 37. A marginal bead 38 enclosing a wire is at thefree edges of the door flan es, and the hinge l() is substantially acontinuation of this bead. lWhen the doors are closed fthemarginal edgesof the door flanges respectively rest flat upon the base parts and theintermediate structure A bead is turned Q2, as well illustrated in Fig.3, and the door flanges surround the upstanding flanges defining thehollow interior of the base through which access is had to the interiorof the box. A

The frame parts of the doors respectively define a sight-openingtherefor which is relatively large, and in preferred practice is solarge as to expose substantially all of the top layer of the contents ofthe box. These sight-openings are coveredby transparent material,preferably glass plate, as lf2, which may be secured to the doorsrespectively in any approved way. Y

I may hinge the doors at the top instead of at the outer ends of thebase, although not to equal advantage. n Hinging the doors at the bottomwould be less advantageous than hinging them at the top, and liingingthem in the middle would be less advantageous still. Swinging the doorsupon the ends of the base as illustrated provides an unusually freeopening, and the operation of opening and closingi the doors isparticularly simple and convenient in that it calls for much the samecharacter of operation as the openingV and closing of a box. Theconstruction illustrated has thefurther advantage in that one or theother of the doors lmay be opened without exposing the entire contentsatany given time, and yet an equa ble withdrawal of the box contents overits entire surface may be conveniently had. The goods within the box arepeculiarly well displayed, and the cover as as a whole presents anunusually attractive appearance. It may simply be telescoped upon theopen top portions of the box, and as easily withdrawn, andV is` wellheld in kposition when in use. Fastening means'for the device may bedispensed with. The structure as a whole is strong and light in weight.It affords unusual protection for the goods, and at the same timesubstantially all of the commodities normally lavailable. for displaycanbe viewed through the relatively large sight openings@ Y r The deviceembodies 'many advantages readily to be appreciated by those skilled inthe art. Its utility and value do not depend strictly upon the featuresof construction as actually illustrated and as specifically describedherein, and I contemplate as being included in the invention suchreasonable departures therefrom as areindicated in the appended claims.

I claim: p

l. A display cover for a relatively long rectangular open-top box of thecharacter described, comprising in combination a substantially flatsheet metal base of relatively long and narrow side and end partsarranged'to conform in shape to the top of the box and adapted to restupon the top edges thereof, said base havingr depending conifs tinuousflanges adapted to telescope readily removably upon the box and to holdthe base thereon, said base parts delining an open interiorsubstantially the area of the open top of the box, a strip-like supporteX- tending from one side base part to the other side base partsubstantially midway between the end base parts and across said openinterior and dividing said open interior into two substantially equalparts, a pair of doors with a relatively large sight-opening in eachthereof hinged upon the respective end parts of the base and adaptednormally to overlie said parts of the open interior respectively and toopen so as to stand entirely away from said open interior, each of saidsight openings being covered with substantially transparent material,there being an upstanding continuous flange-like part surrounding eachpart of the `open interior, the doors telesooping respectively with eaehupstanding flange-like part.

2. A display cover for a relatively long open-top box of the characterdescribed, comprising in combination a substantially fiat sheet metalbase of relatively long and narrow parts arranged to conform in shape tothe top of the box and adapted to rest upon the top edges thereof, saidbase having depending flanges adapted to telescope upon surfaces of thebox near the top thereof in readily attachable and detachable relation,there being a substantially flat relatively long and narrow strip-likesupport extending from one side part of .the base to the opposite sidepart thereof substantially midway between the ends thereof and adaptedto lie beneath edges of doors ad# jacent to each other when the doorsare in closingposition, said base parts and said strip-like supportdefining two door openings having a combined area substantially close tothat of the open top of the box, and a pair 'of doors hinged upon thebase and arranged in a plane side by side and substantially closetogether, and having a relatively large sight-opening in each thereof,said doors being of such area as to overlie the door openingsrespectively, `each of said sight openings being covered withsubstantially transparent material.

3. A display cover for asrelatively long open-top box of the character`described comprising in combination a substantially flat sheet-metalbase of relatively long and narrow side and end parts arranged toconform in shape to the top of the box and adapted to rest upon the topedges thereof, said base having continuous depending flanges at itslouter edges adapted to encompass the outer surfaces of the box near thetop thereof and to telecsope therewith in readily attachable anddetachable relation, saidl base parts defining an open interiorsubstantially the area of the open top of the box, and a pair of doorswith a relatively large sight-opening in each thereof normally overlyingthe open interior of the base, y

each of said sight openings being covered with substantially transparentmaterial, said doors being respectively hinged upon the base at oppositeends of the base, the sides of the doors opposite the hingesrespectively being substantially close to each other when the doors areclosed.

JACOB i.V RUssAKov.

